Meet Tess Marie | Professional Makeup Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tess Marie and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tess, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born and raised in Anaheim, CA with my parents and two older brothers. My mother always loved DIY projects and my father who is an engineer would take a similar approach of creativity by building whatever came to his mind. So naturally as a kid, I often found myself drawn to creative aspects of life because it was all around me. Growing up into my teens, I sort of tried to be a jack of all trades because my parents inspired me to do whatever I set my heart to. That same mindset helped me take leaps of faith and do things out of my comfort zone. For example going to school in LA to learn makeup professionally!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art consists of various different things. For starters, at the moment I work in the Beauty and Special fx department of the Film and Music industry. So I am able to help bring to life the different creative aspects of people’s visions. Whether that be a beauty makeup that is making someone look or feel like a different person, or a special fx makeup that completely transforms someone into a creature of the unknown.

I believe something that sets me apart from other makeup artists, is when I am not using people as canvases or creating on set I am finding other ways to be expressive with art. Whether it is drawing, painting, learning to tattoo or just picking up little artsy hobbies here and there. There is so many creative people in this industry, they just haven’t discovered all the things they can do if they apply that creativeness into other outlets as well!

When I decided makeup school was what I wanted to with my career, I was unsure of how I was going to get to where I needed to be to be successful. I went through my schooling and that thought became a little bit clearer however I knew it would still be challenging. As someone who also deals with severe anxiety putting myself out there was a very scary thought, however in this industry you have to do exactly that if you want to thrive. It definitely was not the easiest thing at first, but I not only wanted to push myself because I wanted to be successful in my trade but I also wanted to do it for me and my own personal confidence. So I reached out to so many artists that I either looked up to or wanted to work with, regardless if they had thousands of followers or 10. I took every opportunity to get work and just connect with others, most of the time not even being paid for anything. But I enjoyed every second of it and learned so many lessons from so many different people along the way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Between going Downtown and getting drinks in the Arts District or thrift shopping at Melrose Flea Market, I find myself checking out new places all the time. If I could recommend to everyone visiting LA things that they have to see, it’d be to check out Malibu beaches, go clubbing in WeHo with friends and check out some of the rooftop bars LA has to offer!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my family, friends and few different artists. With out the endless support I got from my family when deciding if I wanted to go to makeup school or not, I would’ve never gone out of my comfort zone to go. My friends also being a huge part of where I am today. The countless times I have had to change plans, or leave unexpectedly to go to gigs, I have been met with nothing but support and encouragement. The understanding nature or those around me is the main reason I feel I have gotten to where I am today. Not having support to back you up can make or break people, and I am so grateful I have people that care about me and my career goals!

There is a few artists individually I personally wish I could give so many thanks to.
To Bunny, Thank you for taking me under your wing and inspiring me to be creative with no limits. Also always being someone I can go to with any questions or just for things with life in general.
To Olga, Thank you for taking a chance on me as a young artist and bringing me on to some of my favorite sets and giving me the opportunity to work in the music video industry. It has open so many doorways for me in this industry and I will forever be grateful for you and your kindness.
And lastly to the various different artists who I have assisted, asked to work with, and those I aspire to work with in the future, I am so grateful for the opportunity to have learned from you. Each and every one of you has impacted me in more then you will know but I hope one day I can show that to all of you!

Website: tessmariecreations.com

Instagram: Tessmarie.mua

Image Credits
Photo of me doing makeup on Madison Santos taken by Matrix (@matrixmuseum)